1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of implements for seeding grass, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an implement for seeding fluffy-type grass seed.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Many farms have an abandoned acreage which is not now being cultivated because of its low production when planted to cultivated crops. This land is not returning to the owner enough profit to pay taxes; and other lands now being cultivated yield so little that the land should be removed from cultivation and returned to pasture. In addition, throughout the country certain rang lands have become infested with undesirable "brush" species, such as mesquite, which decreases the range land productivity, as well as hampering the handling of livestock.
In attempts to make the land more productive, farmers and ranchers have attempted to establish native grasses on such lands. The principal problem in establishing native grasses is to get the seed planted.
That is, for proper germination and fast emergence, the native grasses must be planted to a depth of from zero to one-half inch, and the grass seed must be packed to ensure that moist soil is firmed over and around the grass seed and to ensure that air pockets around the seed are eliminated. Further, because of the "fluffy" nature of native grass seeds, it is often difficult to establish a uniform stand of the grass when using conventional drills or the prior art grass seeders.
Many of the prior art seeders and drills utilize hard press wheels which have a tendency to bury the seed at a depth which hinders germination; while other prior art grass seeding implements employ draw bar-type mechanisms which do not adequately pack the seed in the seed bed and which have a tendency to produce a bouncing movement as the implement is moved across the seed bed. In addition to the above, other of the prior art grass seeders or drills have employed discs to either open furrows for the seeds or to cover the dispensed seeds in the seed bed. Such discs are not only expensive to maintain, but have a tendency to bounce or jolt the implement when rocks and other foreign objects are encountered, and to plant grass seed too deep.
Farmers and ranchers have long recognized the importance of returning unproductive land to pastures of native grasses. However, problems have nevertheless been encountered in that because of the "fluffy" nature of native grass seeds, and varieties of the Old World Bluestems, the seed boxes of the prior art devices often become clogged, the seed dispensing rate is difficult to regulate, and the depth to which the seed is planted is difficult to control. Thus, new and improved implements for seeding native grasses are constantly being sought which can be employed over a wide variety of terrain, which will firm up seed beds such that the seed is planted to a controlled depth of from zero to one-half inch, which are easy to calibrate, and which are substantially clog free so that the grass seed is substantially uniformly dispersed from the implement. It is to such an implement for seeding grass that the present invention is directed.